I'm All Worked Up, Uh-Huh

Oh, I love this (via the Daou Report—emphasis mine):

Over the years, media owners and editors have come up with different explanations for the lack of left or progressive voices across the media landscape. We're told those ideas are unpopular with the public, for example, or that leftists aren't as engaging or likeable as, say, Sean Hannity.

The new CNN President Jonathan Klein offered another theory during an appearance on PBS's Charlie Rose Show on March 25: Progressives aren't angry enough. When Rose asked if there could ever be a successful progressive version of Fox News Channel, Klein thought not. He explained that while Fox was tapping into a brand of "mostly angry white men" conservatism, "a quote/unquote, 'progressive' or liberal network probably couldn't reach the same sort of an audience, because liberals tend to like to sample a lot of opinions. They pride themselves on that. And you know, they don't get too worked up about anything. And they're pretty morally relativistic. And so, you know, they allow for a lot of that stuff."

First of all, let’s get the easy one out of the way. Morally relativistic? I’ve got three words for you, Mr. Klein: Culture of Life. It isn’t the Left in this country that’s morally relativistic. Here’s my moral code: my rights end where yours begin. It’s flexible, as to accommodate multiple parties, but it is not relative.

As for the assertion that progressives don’t “get too worked up about anything,” well, Mr. Klein—you need look no further than this blog to find evidence contradicting that faulty assumption. I am worked up, sir. I am worked up about what’s being done to my country, to our democracy, to our elections, to our system of checks and balances, to our reputation with our allies, to our national security. I am worked up about the hypocrisy of this administration, who seek to exploit the social conservatism of the voters their corporatist policies will most disadvantage in the not-so-long run. I am worked up about the erosion of women’s rights and the denial of the rights of gays and lesbians. I am worked up about the attack on our judiciary. I am worked up about a lot of shit, and so are the people who visit my blog, and so are my follow Lefty bloggers. We are the definition of worked up, and we’re going to stay that way as long as is necessary.

The difference between the allegedly engaging and likeable Sean Hannity and me is, aside from a significant variance in head girth, that Hannity has to make shit up about which to be outraged, to keep his fans—the GOP base—panting and foaming at the mouth every day, despite their ideological leaders having complete control over two branches of government and ergo having little fodder from the crippled opposition with which to stir their ire, whereas there’s plenty of real news for me to be angry about every damn day, which doesn’t require my deliberately misconstruing, disingenuously decontextualizing, or outright lying about my opposition’s positions.

Give me a show, Mr. Klein, and I’ll be happy to prove to you that there are plenty of progressives who get worked up—and manage to do it without the moral relativism or shady bullshit upon which the Fox Schmooze Channel depends.

If you’d like to contact Mr. Klein and suggest he put his finest production team to work developing the Shakespeare’s Sister Show ASAP, or just to tell him he’s a plonker, you can find him here:

CNN President
Jonathan Klein
Phone: (404) 827-1500

Prick.